Archive for 2011
-
When Should People Living with Rheumatoid Disease Use a Wheelchair?
Or give in to using a cane? Or pain medication? Or a handicapped tag? There was an interesting discussion about wheelchairs and canes on my Facebook post yesterday. At the same time, there were a few other discussions going on about pain medicines. There is such a wide range of needs. But there are some [...]
-
Pass the Pickles – and the Croutons
Did 2011 seem about four months long? If it were an all-you-can-eat salad bar, I’d want a refund. It went by so fast I think I only got to the pickles. This month I’ve been more sleepy and fatigued than usual. It might be recovery from traveling the last few months. Or it could be [...]
-
Hoping Really Hard: 2 Battles I Fight to Win
Two things I’ve been hoping for with all my heart, so I’m doing all I can If you’ve been reading my blog long, you know I talk about hope as a verb – something you do. Hope is not something that some lucky people just have. When you’re actively hoping, you’re probably doing as much [...]
-
Keeper or Loser: I’m Not Giving Up, But What Do You Think?
Warning: this is one of those rare personal posts specifically about my life, but I thought it was relevant to share. We have two endearing names for rheumatologists which I’ve coined over the years: rheum doc and The Wizard. Rheumatologists are the doctors who decide not to sneak out Osler’s infamous back door. I always [...]
-
4 Funny Things about Pain Scale Charts
Pain is one of the most important symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis and many other conditions. Pain is the most obviously significant signal that something is wrong. However, pain is also the most difficult symptom to measure. Need for a pain scale Since pain is such an important indicator that something is “wrong,” we ought to [...]
-
Lipstick & Luck: Feeling Fabulous with Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disease
If we try, will we feel fabulous with Rheumatoid Arthritis? Feeling and looking fabulous with RA sells well, but how much can lipstick help? Most people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis have felt the sting of someone suggesting we don’t need to be as sick if we would only try _____. Hearing this can seem harsh, [...]
-
When Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Even Worse than the Disease
Yesterday, we discussed the frequently-asked question of the consequences of not treating RA. People also sometimes say they just can’t take Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment any longer because “it’s even worse than the disease.” Why do patients say that and what’s a reasonable response? Let’s be clear about terms: Treatment: medicine used to improve disease activity [...]
-
The Consequences of Not Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Sometimes people ask me whether taking treatment for RA matters. Over the last couple of years, I’ve answered dozens of emails with this question, posted on Facebook last week: “What are the consequences of not treating RA?” Why patients wonder about not treating Rheumatoid Arthritis Since I live with RA myself, I know the validity [...]
Subscribe to feed
